George Somers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
George Somers
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait believed to be of Somers
|
|
| Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis | |
| In office 19 March 1604 – 10 February 1610 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | before 24 April 1554 Lyme Regis, Dorset, England |
| Died | 9 November 1610 (aged 56) Bermuda |
| Resting place | Whitchurch Canonicorum |
| Occupation | Privateer, sea captain |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor (1603) |
| Employer | Virginia Company of London |
| Military service | |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1595–1606 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Wars | Anglo-Spanish War |
Sir George Somers (born before 24 April 1554 – died 9 November 1610) was an English sea captain and explorer. He was known for his bravery and skill at sea. He was even made a knight for his achievements.
Sir George Somers is best remembered today as the founder of the English colony of Bermuda. This group of islands is also known as the Somers Isles, named after him.
Contents
Sir George Somers: A Life at Sea
George Somers was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, in 1554. From a young age, he became a very skilled sailor. He owned his own ship, called the Julian.
His first big adventure was commanding a ship called the Flibcote. He sailed with three other ships during a war between England and Spain. They raided Spain and brought back valuable goods worth a lot of money.
Adventures with Amyas Preston
Somers later teamed up with another famous sailor, Amyas Preston. Preston had fought against the powerful Spanish Armada. In 1595, they joined an expedition led by Walter Raleigh. They hoped to find the legendary city of El Dorado.
They also planned to attack Spanish towns along the coast. After some changes to their plans, Preston and Somers went on their own adventure. They sailed along the coast of what is now Venezuela. They captured a fort at La Guaira.
Then, they bravely trekked through mountains to reach the city of Caracas. The English sailors outsmarted the Spanish forces and captured the city. After they couldn't get a ransom, they took valuable items and set fire to parts of the city. They then captured another city called Santa Ana de Coro. Their expedition was a success, and they returned home safely with profits.
Between 1600 and 1602, Somers commanded several important English ships. In 1603, he was made a knight, becoming "Sir George Somers." In 1604, he became a Member of Parliament for his hometown.
The Journey to Jamestown and Bermuda
In 1609, Sir George Somers was chosen for a very important job. He became the admiral of a fleet of ships for the Virginia Company. This fleet was meant to bring supplies and more settlers to the Jamestown colony in North America. The Jamestown colony had been settled two years earlier and needed help.
On June 2, 1609, he set sail from Plymouth, England. His ship, the Sea Venture, was the main ship of the fleet. It was towing two smaller boats. The fleet carried between 500 and 600 colonists heading for Jamestown.
On July 25, the fleet sailed into a terrible storm, probably a hurricane. The ships were separated by the strong winds and waves. The Sea Venture battled the storm for three days. The ship was new, and its wooden planks had not fully settled. Water began to leak quickly into the ship.
Everyone on board worked hard to bail out the water. They even threw the ship's cannons overboard to make it lighter. Sir George Somers himself steered the ship through the storm.
On the morning of July 28, he spotted land. The ship was filling with water, and everyone was exhausted. To save the ship and the people, Somers purposely steered the Sea Venture onto the reefs of an island. This island turned out to be Bermuda. This brave act allowed all 150 people and a dog on board to reach the shore safely. They landed at a place they later called Discovery Bay.
Life on Bermuda and Rescue
Somers and his group stayed on Bermuda for ten months. They lived by gathering food from the island and fishing. Some people believe that this event inspired William Shakespeare's famous play, The Tempest.
During their time on the islands, the crew and passengers built a church and houses. This was the beginning of the Bermuda colony. Sir George Somers and Sir Thomas Gates oversaw the building of two new, smaller ships. These ships, named the Deliverance and the Patience, were made from local wood and parts salvaged from the wrecked Sea Venture.
In May 1610, the new ships sailed for Jamestown. They carried the 142 survivors and food from Bermuda. When they arrived at Jamestown, they found the colony in a terrible state. Many settlers had died from famine and disease during a period known as the "Starving Time." Only 60 settlers were still alive.
The food and help from the Bermuda ships, along with a relief fleet that arrived later, saved the Jamestown colony. Without them, the colony might have been abandoned.
Sir George Somers returned to Bermuda on the Patience to get more food. However, he became ill during the journey. He died in Bermuda on November 9, 1610, at the age of 56. A local story says that he loved Bermuda so much that he asked for his heart to be buried there. A marker in Somers' Gardens in St. George's shows where his heart is believed to be buried. The rest of his body was taken back to England and buried in his home village of Whitchurch Canonicorum.
See also
In Spanish: George Somers para niños
